“So, what did you tell him?”
“I’m not going to take a job with your ex,” she says, snorting like it’s the most absurd idea she’s ever heard. “No way. You’re my bestie. Sisters before misters, right?”
“Damn straight,” I say firmly. “Whyyou, anyway? No offence. It’s just that he could hire any number of great chefs to work at his stupid restaurant.” My anger simmers like the coconut rice I just left on the stovetop. “Is he doing this just to piss me off or something? So you’ll tell me all about what an amazing job it is and I’ll rue the day I turned him down?”
“Or so I’ll tell you when he comes in with some new woman on his arm. Pfft!” Priya says, making a ‘he’s crazy’ face.
“As if you would ever do that. Apparently, he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with, am I right?”
“Oh girl, you are so right,” Priya says. Yes, we’re two sassy best friends out to conquer the world.
“So what did he say when you turned him down?” I ask, starting to feel a little giddy about him being rejected by both of us.
“He said he understood why I might feel uncomfortable and that he wanted to make sure I knew the only reason he was offering me the job was because you told him I was supremely talented and he trusts your opinion about these things above anyone else’s,” Priya says, with just a hint of sheepishness in her voice. “He also told me the offer stands if I change my mind.”
“Urgh. That isso himto be all gentlemanly about it,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I mean, come on! You can’t just swoop in and take my best friend.”
“No doubt,” Priya answers, nodding quickly. “So, that’s that then…I guess.”
Ignoring that last bit which seemed a lot like trepidation, I say, “Any word on your med school applications?”
“Nada. But I did apply for a bit of a quirky chef’s position actually.”
“Cool.Where at?”
“Starbutts.”
The connection must be crap here. I could have sworn she said Starbutts but she definitely said Starbucks. “I didn’t know they needed chefs there.”
“Oh, yeah, definitely. Everybody gets hungry—customers, dancers...”
Well those are random examples, no? “I don’t get it. Will you be in their head office in Seattle? Are you going to be designing ready-made meals for them or something?”
“Uh, no, just regular cooking,” Priya answers vaguely. “I actually don’t think they have a head office. Well, Tony, the guy who owns the place, has an office in the back next to the change room.”
“Wait a second. We’re talking about Starbucks, the giant coffeehouse chain, right?”
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “Starbutts. It’s a strip club just outside of town. Tony wants to try to attract a higher-end clientele so he’s looking to change up the menu. That’s where I’d come in.Ifthey offer me the job, that is. They had two other chefs they were interviewing that day and apparently one of them said she’d be willing to dance when the kitchen is slow. He asked me if I would, but I said no.”
Sweet Jesus.
Okay, Emma. You cannot let your best friend be reduced to flipping burgers at a strip club. Especially not when she’s been offered the world’s most perfect opportunity. Stop being a selfish be-otch.“You should take the offer from Pierce,” I say, the words tasting like recycled tobacco juice.
“No way,” she says. “That isoffthe table. Like, swept off into the trash and the garbage truck already came and took it away so there’s no chance of retrieving it. Sisters before—”
“Take the job, Priya. It’s the perfect opportunity. The restaurant is absolutely gorgeous and the kitchen is to die for.”
“It is, isn’t it?” she says, bursting with an uncontainable excitement. “And thelocationis just…wow. I looked it up online after I got off the phone with him. I even think I’d like the weather there.”
Oh, she totally wants this so badly she can taste it. I force a bright smile. “Valcourt really is a lovely city. I lived there until I was seven, you know. There’s so much to love about the entire kingdom, really. Plus, you’d be getting away from your family, which may not be the worst thing in the world.”
“It is kind of perfect for me. He said he can fast track my work visa because he knows someone, so I could be there by the end of the month. But honestly, only if you’re one thousand percent sure,” she says firmly. “Because if this wouldin any wayupset you, even just the tiniest littlest bit, I won’t take it.”
“It won’t upset me, I swear,” I say, keeping the grin plastered to my face. “As your best friend, I want you to be happy. And it’s not like Pierce and I were married for five years and just went through some messy divorce because he was cheating with his floosy of a secretary. We had a few fun weeks together and then we realized it wasn’t going to work. That’s it. You go. Take the job and don’t worry about me.”
“You’re sure?” she asks, wincing a little.
“I’m sure. Just maybe don’t mention if he comes in and happens to look devastatingly handsome or says something particularly witty.”
